Political corruption viewed by most as serious problem

Poll contains high disapproval ratings on the eve of 2006 elections

DONNA CASSATA, Associated Press

Published
6:30 am CST, Friday, December 9, 2005

WASHINGTON - Investigations, indictments and a congressman's guilty plea for taking millions in bribes have left most Americans convinced that political corruption is a deeply rooted problem, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll.

Missteps and misconduct that have reached into all levels of government — from the White House and Congress to governors' offices in Connecticut and Ohio — have helped drive 88 percent of those surveyed to say the problem is a serious one.

Scandal has touched all politicians.

President Bush's approval rating was 42 percent, slightly better than his standing in the previous AP-Ipsos poll, due in part to improvements in the economy. Still, 57 percent of those surveyed disapproved of Bush's handling of the presidency.

More ominous as the 2006 elections loom was the public's opinion of the Republican-controlled Congress.

Sixty-five percent of respondents disapproved of lawmakers' work in Washington and only 31 percent approved, the worst numbers since AP-Ipsos began asking the question in January.

Several of those interviewed said corruption was endemic to a political system awash in colossal amounts of lobbying money and beset by an insatiable demand for campaign cash.

"It's kind of the nature of politics, working with money and finance, things happen every day that are questionable," said David Innerebner, a conservative-leaning missionary from Hayward, Wis.

In 2004, federal lobbyists spent $2.1 billion — the amount the U.S. government spends annually on energy assistance for low-income Americans.

In that same year, candidates pursuing the presidency and seats in Congress spent more than $3 billion.